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ລາຍການກະຈາຍສຽງຂອງວີໂອເອ ລາວ

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US Trafficking Report / Laos' Reaction

01.07.2008

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US Trafficking Report / Laos' Reaction

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The US State Department’s annual report on human trafficking, issued on June
4, 2008, gave the lowest ranking to some US allies, including Saudi
Arabia. But several countries were
credited with an improved performance on the issue including Venezuela,
Malaysia and Madagascar.

The report classifies
countries into 3 groups: Tier 1 groups countries that fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; Tier 2 consists of
countries that do not fully comply with minimum standards but are making
significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance; countries on Tier 2
that require special scrutiny because of high or significantly increasing
number of victims are placed on Tier 2 Watch List; and Tier 3 includes
countries that neither satisfy the minimum standards nor demonstrate a
significant effort to come into compliance.

Laos is classified in Tier 2 this year. The report
says Laos is primarily a source country for women and girls trafficked for
commercial sexual exploitation and labor exploitation as domestic or factory
workers in Thailand. Some Lao men, women, and children migrate to neighboring
countries in search of better economic opportunities but are subjected to
conditions of forced or bonded labor or forced prostitution after arrival. Some
Lao men who migrate willingly to Thailand are subjected to conditions of
involuntary servitude in the Thai fishing and construction industries.

The report says to a lesser extent, Laos is a
country of transit for Vietnamese, Chinese and Burmese women destined for
Thailand. Laos’ potential as a transit country is on the rise with the
construction of new highways linking the People’s Republic of China, Vietnam,
Thailand, and Cambodia through Laos. Internal trafficking is also a problem
that affects young women and girls who are trafficked for commercial sexual
exploitation in urban areas.

According to the report, the Government of Laos
does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however it is making significant efforts to do so.

The report recommends that Laos increases its
efforts to combat internal trafficking, and improve its collaboration with
international organizations to build capacity to combat trafficking in persons.

The report also says the Lao government has
demonstrated progress in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and its
willingness to collaborate with other countries as well as NGOs and
international organizations. Laos prohibits all forms of trafficking through
Penal Code Article 134, which prescribes penalties that are sufficiently
stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for rape.

The report adds that the Lao government
demonstrated progress in improving protection for victims of trafficking during
the year. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) and the Immigration
Department cooperated with IOM, UNIAP, and a local NGO to provide victim
assistance. The MLSW continued operating a small transit center in Vientiane.
Victims not wanting to return home are referred to a long-term shelter run by
the Lao Women’s Union or to a local NGO.

Regarding prevention, the report says Laos has
increased its efforts to prevent trafficking in persons with assistance from
international organizations and civil societies. For example, the MLSW worked
with UNICEF to set up awareness-raising billboards near border checkpoints and
larger cities.

In reaction to the State Department report, Mr.
Yong Chanthalangsy, spokesperson for the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said
the US used a one-sided approach by just informing the Lao government of its
conclusion, one day before releasing the report.

The US State Department
report estimated that around 800 thousand people are trafficked across national
borders each year. Millions more are
trafficked within their own borders.
The majority of transnat-ional victims are female trafficked into
commercial sex trade; many of them are minors.